Bak X4S airborne

[RedundanT]

So is this caused by the wrong rails? I've re-installed this a couple times and it just gets worse.

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[BlackSheep]

I saw another post where there was a defect that impacted locking. I would contact Bak for a warranty claim using that picture. Mine has never had an issue like that!

 

[imnuts]

Looks like it's not locked in place properly. Could be the rails or alignment. Make sure that it's sitting completely flat in the rails before latching it. If it's rolled up, you can also make sure the locking rail is moving properly when you press on the lever at the end of the rail. I'd also check to make sure the slats on the cover are good.

 

[RedundanT]

Did my umpteenth reinstall of the X4S today. I ended up rolling it all the way up, loosening ALL the mounts then closing the top. At that point I made sure it was aligned then crawled in the bed and tightened everything back up. Seems better. PITA!

 

[RedundanT]

Soooooo here's an update on this POS tonneau. I contacted Bak and sent them the above picture, their fix is to send "shims" to align the top. I'm sorry but if you designed the damn thing properly in the first freaking place to fit said vehicle you SHOULDN'T need shims. Please take advice from this old curmudgeon to avoid this top like the plague.

 

[imnuts]

You're the first person to post with this issue of many that have installed it here. When researching the cover, I didn't see anyone complain about an issue like you have either. Has it happened since you made your adjustments? I still think it's an alignment or installation issue, but I'm not there to see your cover.

 

[John_C]

You're the first person to post with this issue of many that have installed it here. When researching the cover, I didn't see anyone complain about an issue like you have either. Has it happened since you made your adjustments? I still think it's an alignment or installation issue, but I'm not there to see your cover.

He's not alone. I too went with the x4S and it has been a nightmare. Day one I realized it doesn't fit the width of the bed properly, and their solution was to throw washers from the hardware store between the rails and the truck bed. Uhhh, $1,300 cover and I have to shim it with a bunch of washers that may fall out later? "Eh, stuff happens, no biggie."

After shimming it into place and re-aligning the cover to tighten it down, it sat much better. Until about 3 days went by and it somehow got skewed (no longer sat straight). Guess I didn't tighten enough was my first thought. I realigned it and tightened it down a bit more. Same thing happened. I gave up after trying to realign it 3 times. "Not a huge deal, I'll just push it straight when I go to close it."

Then within 2 weeks of install, I noticed that the little black caps that cover the rear corners were fragile. So fragile, that they would just fly off while driving. Literally. Get out and go to open the bed, and the cap on one side is missing. BAK has sent me replacements (two sets), and I have already lost those. I even superglued the last set I had on when I replaced them. Now I just live with gaping, unsightly holes in my cover. "Really? $1,300 for this?"

I know what you're thinking. "Wont those huge open holes on the back of the cover let water in?" Absolutely, yes they do. This would concern me if it wasn't already leaking in several other spots as well. It leaks from the back (They said it was due to the tailgate step cutouts in the tailgate), the sides, and from the front near the rear windshield. Their solution? Take the cover off and silicone everywhere it meets the bed. Uhhhh, what??

There is also the issue that their black material seems to shrink from sitting in the sun, or from high usage. I am not sure. But I do know that the vinyl like material is shrinking, and it is shrunk past the rubber seals on the sides in places. Which basically equates to shower heads within the bed during rain/washes. I stopped wasting my time reaching out to BAK with my issues; it's very clear that they don't care about you once the check clears.

Yep, I am still going. But, this is my last gripe (until something else goes wrong with it next week). If you live in a northern climate, or anywhere where it freezes, you'll discover a hidden security feature with the x4S. If it snows or rains and then freezes, the cover will lock so tightly, even YOU won't be able to open it. The cover literally freezes to the rails the whole length of the bed on both sides. This is the main reason you'll now find a 4,200 watt 240 volt heater in my backseat during cold months. Nothing like using the powerboost to run a heater normally intended to heat a small building just so you can thaw your cover out just to get your tools out of the bed before work.

Yes, my Bak retailer said it was installed correctly. Twice. Until I can get my utility topper, I am stuck with this giant piece-o-crap. My Bak retailer and I agreed, this cover isn't for those who will open/close it daily. It's really just a leaky, poorly engineered, fragile accessory for those who don't want leaves to fall into their bed. Rant over.

 

[FLPB]

He's not alone. I too went with the x4S and it has been a nightmare. Day one I realized it doesn't fit the width of the bed properly, and their solution was to throw washers from the hardware store between the rails and the truck bed. Uhhh, $1,300 cover and I have to shim it with a bunch of washers that may fall out later? "Eh, stuff happens, no biggie."

After shimming it into place and re-aligning the cover to tighten it down, it sat much better. Until about 3 days went by and it somehow got skewed (no longer sat straight). Guess I didn't tighten enough was my first thought. I realigned it and tightened it down a bit more. Same thing happened. I gave up after trying to realign it 3 times. "Not a huge deal, I'll just push it straight when I go to close it."

Then within 2 weeks of install, I noticed that the little black caps that cover the rear corners were fragile. So fragile, that they would just fly off while driving. Literally. Get out and go to open the bed, and the cap on one side is missing. BAK has sent me replacements (two sets), and I have already lost those. I even superglued the last set I had on when I replaced them. Now I just live with gaping, unsightly holes in my cover. "Really? $1,300 for this?"

I know what you're thinking. "Wont those huge open holes on the back of the cover let water in?" Absolutely, yes they do. This would concern me if it wasn't already leaking in several other spots as well. It leaks from the back (They said it was due to the tailgate step cutouts in the tailgate), the sides, and from the front near the rear windshield. Their solution? Take the cover off and silicone everywhere it meets the bed. Uhhhh, what??

There is also the issue that their black material seems to shrink from sitting in the sun, or from high usage. I am not sure. But I do know that the vinyl like material is shrinking, and it is shrunk past the rubber seals on the sides in places. Which basically equates to shower heads within the bed during rain/washes. I stopped wasting my time reaching out to BAK with my issues; it's very clear that they don't care about you once the check clears.

Yep, I am still going. But, this is my last gripe (until something else goes wrong with it next week). If you live in a northern climate, or anywhere where it freezes, you'll discover a hidden security feature with the x4S. If it snows or rains and then freezes, the cover will lock so tightly, even YOU won't be able to open it. The cover literally freezes to the rails the whole length of the bed on both sides. This is the main reason you'll now find a 4,200 watt 240 volt heater in my backseat during cold months. Nothing like using the powerboost to run a heater normally intended to heat a small building just so you can thaw your cover out just to get your tools out of the bed before work.

Yes, my Bak retailer said it was installed correctly. Twice. Until I can get my utility topper, I am stuck with this giant piece-o-crap. My Bak retailer and I agreed, this cover isn't for those who will open/close it daily. It's really just a leaky, poorly engineered, fragile accessory for those who don't want leaves to fall into their bed. Rant over.

Bummer to hear this. I was really liking the x4s from what I saw online. I know some guys received the wrong side rails, but that had more to do with length than width. Never installed one, but is it possible they sent the wrong rear rail?

 

[RedundanT]

Bak sent me an email asking if I was happy with their customer service. I replied to them their customer service is top notch, HOWEVER their engineer's and design team are complete morons. Never heard back. LOL

 

[John_C]

Bummer to hear this. I was really liking the x4s from what I saw online. I know some guys received the wrong side rails, but that had more to do with length than width. Never installed one, but is it possible they sent the wrong rear rail?

Nope, they claim that it only needs shims on "some trucks". Basically, instead of saying, "We're dumb and made it the wrong size and don't want to foot the costs to fix it properly", they're saying that Ford beds aren't the same width every time. But they'll keep charging their premium prices anyways.

 

[imnuts]

In the directions, it states that some beds require shims as the sides where you mount them aren't parallel. While I didn't have any issues with that, it doesn't mean that every truck will be the same. Given the number of problems you had, are you sure they sent you the correct cover for your truck? I read several reviews prior to ordering mine last year, and kept up with threads on the cover, and no one had the same issue as the OP that I saw. There have been several with rail issues recently though.

 

[John_C]

In the directions, it states that some beds require shims as the sides where you mount them aren't parallel. While I didn't have any issues with that, it doesn't mean that every truck will be the same. Given the number of problems you had, are you sure they sent you the correct cover for your truck? I read several reviews prior to ordering mine last year, and kept up with threads on the cover, and no one had the same issue as the OP that I saw. There have been several with rail issues recently though.

I don't know if you were asking the OP or I if we have the right cover, but BAK told me mines right. I had to give them the model/serial number to get warranty parts. I've contemplated switching to a cheap Amazon cover until I get my topper, but given how much I hate the x4S, it still seems to provide the peace of mind from a knife attack. So there's that at least.

 

[RedundanT]

Bak has all my information, they consider the case closed. I consider them garbage, and will not change my mind.

 

[cool rod]

Bak has all my information, they consider the case closed. I consider them garbage, and will not change my mind.

Looking at the picture and the symmetric appearance of the bulge, it really looks like there's something trapped there. I'm not disputing what you say, and you've gone to great lengths to get this figured out, but either the rail is bent or the locking dogs are out of place, or there might be something stuck in the hole. This is a one-off problem and they should be much more responsive, like give you a replacement. I don't know who makes that decision, probably not anyone who answers the phone, but he must have a supervisor.

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